Connector for electrical conductors



1 Oct. 28, 1958 E. F. LINDAHL ETAL 2,858,516

CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Filed Jan. 16, 1956 a 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 28, 1958 V E. F. LlNDAHL ETAL 2,858,516

CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS I Filed Jan. 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 connector of the character United States Patent v CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Our invention relates to electrical connectors of the clamp type which are particularly adapted for making branch line connections to a main conductor.

It is the pricipal object of our invention to provide a connector wherein the two conductors are electrically connected by a metallic strip which folds around the connectors and is yieldingly pressed against them by an intermediate body of resilient material which is compressed around the conductors by rigid outer shells so that when the connection is completed good electrical connection between the conductors is made and the electrical connection is completely enclosed by the resilient material.

A further purpose of our invention is to provide a above set forth wherein the two conductors are yieldingly held by the connector and any vibrations of a conductor are prevented from working the conductors against a rigid part of the connector.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a connector of the character above described whereinthe resilient material that is compressed around the condoctors and the connecting conductor means between the conductors also provides means for holding an electrical contact sealing paste in position to receive the conductors and seal them with respect to the connector against corrosion and moisture penetration. Our invention is embodied in a connector for electrical conductors which has an outer split shell of rigid material which may be metal or insulating material of adequate strength. The shell contains a body of yielding resilient material such for example as a synthetic resin, synthetic rubber, or natural rubber. Within the yielding body a flexible conducting strip is imbedded in such a way as to leave an exposed surface of the strip to generally encircle the conductors to be connected. The device is characterized by the construction where no part of the connecting strip essential to establishing electrical connections between the two conductors is directly contacted by the rigid material of the shell. The shell is clamped together by any suitable means such as a bolt or bolts and when so clamped it compresses and forms the resilient yieldable material and the flexible connecting strip around the conductors and forces the electrical contact sealing paste into intimate contact with the conductor between the connecting strip and the ends of the connector.

The nature and advantages of our invention will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred form of the invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and description are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the invention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connector embodyingour invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, but with the connector open ready to receive the conductors and the conductors removed;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the connector with the top part of the shell and the clamping bolt removed and with the connector partly broken away to illustrate the inside construction;

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of a connector which is essentially like the connector in Figure 1, except that it uses two clamp bolts and only one connecting strip;

Figures 5 and 6 are sectional views taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 4, illustrating the manner in which the clamp grips two like connectors in Figure 5 and two connectors of different size in Figure 6;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 5; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section which is typical of the connectors of both Figure 1 and Figure 4, illustrating how channels are provided in the resilient yieldable material of the connector to receive electrical contact sealing paste.

Our connector is for the purpose of connecting two conductors such as 10 and 11 in Figure 1, to each other. The conductor 10 may, for an example, be a main line and the conductor 11 a tap leading to a consumer of electricity. As illustrated the connector embodies an outer shell 12 which is shown as a two piece unit consisting of a lower half 13 and an upper half 14 The shell parts 13 and 14 are clamped by a bolt 15 which extends through the upper shell half 14 and threads into the lower shell half 13.

A body 16 of a resilient yielding insulation composition si formed to fit the interior of the shell portions 13 and 14 and is provided with a passage 17 to receive the clamping bolt 15 and the corresponding bosses 18 and 19 that are formed on the shell portions 13 and 14 to receive the bolt 15. The body 16 may be constructed of either one or several well known materials such for example, as natural rubber, synthetic rubber such as neoprene, and various yielding synthetic resin materials. The sectioning of the body 16 in the drawings is that of a plastic composition, however, this is not intended as a limitation but merely as an illustration of one of the materials that may be used. The body 16 has two opposing longitudinally running channels 20 and 21 that extend the full length of the body. The shell portions 13 and 14 are recessed as indicated at 22 and 23 at the ends of the channels 20 and 21 so that the conductors 10 and 11 laid in the channels 20 and 21 are spaced from the shell portions 13 and 14.

Electrical connection between conductors 10 and 11 placed in the channels 20 and 21 is established by flexible strips 24 and 25 of metal that are imbedded in the body 16 and exposed within the channels 20 and 21. The flexible connecting strip 24 and 25 may be made of any suitable good conductor. An example is a woven or braided strip of copper wires or aluminum wires. Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings illustrate how the woven connecting strip is deformed around the conductors by the closing of the shell 12.

The illustration in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 is essentially the same as in Figures 1 to 3, with the exception that the connector shown is provided with two clamping bolts 15' and only a single strip 24' for establishing electrical connection between the two conductors 10 and 11. As is evident from an inspection of Figures 5 and 6, when the clamp is applied and the shell portions 13 and 14 are drawn together, the yielding body 16 is deformed to force the strips 24 and 25, or the strip 24', into intimate contact with the conductors 10 and 11. The material of the body 16 is also forced out between the meeting edges of the shell portions 13 and 14 as illustrated best by Figures 1 and 4 to 7 inclusive. This seals the conductors around the point of entry into the connector. To

further effect protection of the conductors and their connecting strip from corrosion, the body 16 is provided with wells 26 between the connecting strips 24, 25 and 24 and the ends of the connector. These wells 26 are formed directly in the body 16 when it is molded and they provide storage space for a quantity of electrical contact sealing paste. Sealing pastes are well known products and are sold under different trade names by various manufacturers of connectors. The paste in the wells 26 is squeezed out by the compression of the body 16 upon conductors in the channels 20 and 21 and forced between the strands of the conductors to seal olf the areas where the connector strips engage two conductors.

It is believed that the nature and advantages of our invention will be understood by those skilled in the art from the detailed description heretofore given. The particular advantages that follow from the use of such a connector, include uniform yielding pressure of the connecting strip against the conductors without any cutting action such as must inevitably result when a rigid connector bar is compressed against the conductor. Also this connector leaves the conductors free to vibrate in a yielding manner at their point of connection to each other without wearing or working against a rigid part of the connector. Most important, however, is the substantially complete sealing of the connected area between the two conductors from the corrosive elfects of the atmosphere. Properly prepared material for the body 16 will not itself corrode the wires and, once the sealing taks place, moisture and air are practically excluded from the areas where the conductors engage the connecting strip. The provision of wells 26 for the electrical contact sealing paste within the body 16 where the paste will necessarily be forced into the spaces between the strands of wires is an important factor in obtaining adequate sealing. Heretofore it has been necessary for the lineman installing the connector to apply the sealing paste, and under the conditions of his Work, this is quite difficult and often times inadequately done. With the present construction the sealing paste is applied to the connectors before installation and the linemen are relieved of this burdensome work.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. An electrical connector adapted for connecting conductors comprising two opposed shell portions, a clamping member connecting said shell portions and operable to press the shell portions toward each other, a body of yielding resilient insulation material filling the space within said shell portions and yieldingly holding them spaced apart, said material having spaced channels extending therethrough, the channels being open to the exterior on opposite sides of the body between the edges of said shell portions for insertion of the conductors, flexible conducting strip means having U-shaped portions exposed in said channels to engage the conductors and having a portion completely encased in the yielding material connecting the U-shaped portions, said U-shaped portions being wholly spaced inwardly from the side edges of the body, the resilient, yielding material being compressible by said shell portions to force the U-shaped portions to fold around the conductors, and to compress the side edges of the body to close the channels and form a seal around the conductors between said exposed U-shaped portions and the edges of said shell portions.

2. An electrical connector adapted for connecting conductors together comprising a body of resilient yielding insulating composition, said body having spaced apart channels therein extending from one end of the body to the other, said channels being open on opposite sides of the body to permit insertion of conductors therein, flexible conducting strip means extending through said body from one channel to the other having U-shaped portions exposed in said channels to engage conductors therein, said U-shaped portions terminating at points spaced inwardly from the side edges of the body, said conducting strips being entirely supported within said body and covered thereby except for the U-shaped exposed portions, and means to exert pressure on the top and bottom portions of the body to deform the body and press the U-shaped strip portions against conductors in said channels and to pinch the side edges of the body together to close said channels around the conductors and seal the exposed U-shaped strip portions within the compressed body.

3. An electrical connector adapted for connecting conductors together comprising a body of resilient yielding insulating composition, said body having spaced apart channels therein extending from one end of the body to the other, said channels being open on opposite sides of the body to permit insertion of conductors therein, flexible conducting strip means extending through said body from one channel to the other having U-shaped portions exposed in said channels to engage conductors therein, said U-shaped portions being readily deformable with the resilient body to receive and engage conductors of various dimensions, said U-shaped portions terminating at points spaced inwardly from the side edges of the body, said conducting strips being entirely supported within said body and covered thereby except for the U-shaped exposed portions, and means to exert pressure on the top and bottom portions of the body to deform the body and press the U-shaped strip portions against conductors in said channels and to pinch the side edges of the body together to close said channels around the conductors and seal the exposed U-shaped strip portions within the compressed body.

4. An electrical connector adapted for connecting conductors together comprising a body of resilient yielding insulating composition, said body having spaced apart channels therein extending from one end of the body to the other, said channels being open on opposite sides of the body to permit insertion of conductors therein, flexible conducting strip means extending through said body from one channel to the other and having portions thereof exposed in said channels to engage conductors therein, said exposed portions being wholly spaced inwardly from the side edges of the body, said connecting strip means being entirely supported within the body and covered thereby except for the exposed portions, and means to exert pressure on the top and bottom portions of the body to deform the body and press the exposed strip portions against the conductor in said channels and to pinch the side edges of the body together to close said channels around the conductors and seal the exposed strip portions within the compressed body.

5. An electrical connector for connecting conductors together comprising a body of resilient, yielding, insulating material, said body having two spaced apart channels therein extending from one end of the body to the other, each of said channels being open throughout its length to a side edge of the body to permit lateral insertion of a conductor therein, a flexible conducting strip embedded in the interior of the body and covered thereby, said strip having exposed portions lining the inner faces of said channels to engage conductors inserted in said channels, said exposed portions being spaced inwardly from the side edges of the body, said body and said conducting strip being readily deformable to receive and engage conductors of various dimensions, shell portions engaging the top and bottom portions of the body, and clamping means for urging the shell portions together to exert pressure on the body to deform the body and press the exposed strip portions against the conductors in said channels, and to pinch the side edges of the body together to close the channels around the conductors and seal the exposed strip portions within the compressed body.

6. An electrical connector for connecting conductors together comprising a body of resilient, yielding, 1nsu- 5 lating material, said body having two spaced apart channels therein extending from one end of the body to the other, each of said channels being open throughout its length to a side edge of the body to permit lateral insertion of a conductor therein, a flexible conducting strip embedded in the interior of the body and covered thereby, said strip having exposed portions lining the inner faces of said channels to engage conductors inserted in said channels, said exposed portions being spaced inwardly from the side edges of the body, said body and said conducting strip being readily deformable to receive and engage conductors of various dimensions, shell portions engaging the top and bottom portions of the body, and clamping means for urging the shell portions together to exert pressure on the body to deform the body and press the exposed strip portions against the conductors in said channels, and to pinch the side edges of the body together to close the channels around the conductors and seal the exposed strip portions within the compressed body, and contact paste filled well means in the body opening to said channels adjacent to the exposed strip portions and operable upon compression of said body to force sealing paste into the channels around the conductors therein to prevent entrance of moisture into the body along the conductors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,227,528 Adler Jan. 7, 1941 2,331,668 Ellinwood Oct. 12, 1943 2,362,124 Ellinwood Nov. 7, 1944 2,396,836 Ellinwood Mar. 19, 1946 2,417,260 Morehouse Mar. 11, 1947 2,423,290 Bonwitt July 1, 1947 

